See PainScience for a thorough discussion: <a href="https://www.painscience.com/articles/chair-trouble.php" rel="nofollow">https://www.painscience.com/articles/chair-trouble.php</a><p>Relevant excerpts:<p>> The importance of extremely comfy and ergonomically dazzling chairs is exaggerated. There is simply no such thing as a perfect chair: your body isn’t comfortable with any position for hours at a time. The problem isn’t the position that your body is in, but the lack of motion, exertion, and variety of stimulation, and no chair can solve that.<p>> The best chair might just be two or three simple-but-different chairs used in rotation, including or used in conjunction with an destabilizing cushion, such as a Disc-O-Sit or Sissel Sit, or a fitness ball.<p>> In my office, I have a standard office chair and a stool, both of which I use in combination with a Disc-O-Sit for plenty of variety.<p>> And, if you still want a good chair, and if you’ve got the cash, by all means — get yourself a fancy chair! I did. I worried about the cost until I sat in it. I’ve now been sitting in it without buyer’s remorse for about 12 years.<p>(The chair he bought and is referring to is the popular Aeron chair)
Consider mix any you chosen with a standing desk setup.<p>Before I sit all day (I work form home). Then I change, use only a fatigue mat and DIY "standing desk" made by my large speakers and flat wood.<p>Now, I can't stay sit for more than 1 hour and feel good! This way, I must alternate between the 2 modes, and feel better.<p>BTW, To easy the change, I use a bar char alike:<p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Adjustable-Synthetic-Leather-Chairs-Sets/dp/B00GV28VBQ/ref=sr_1_3?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1484932497&sr=1-3&keywords=bar+chairs" rel="nofollow">https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Adjustable-Synthetic-Leather-C...</a><p>So I can rest for being up easily.<p>BTW: All up not good, All sit not good. Mix good!
I <i>really</i> like my swiss kneeling chair. I got this one: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Flash-Furniture-WL-SB-210-GG-Ergonomic-Kneeling/dp/B000TMK0O0/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1484932398&sr=1-1&keywords=kneeling+chair" rel="nofollow">https://www.amazon.com/Flash-Furniture-WL-SB-210-GG-Ergonomi...</a><p>I've had to do lots of physical therapy for the problems developed from sitting in a chair at the computer. The kneeling chair has been a huge improvement.
I bought Autonomous' ErgoChair[1] couple of months ago but it got delivered in December 2016. I like it and It's lot cheaper than other options in the market.<p>Warning: KickStarter suspended their campaign [2] because they were reselling the product. You may also want to check this Reddit thread [3] before you make your mind.<p>[1] - <a href="https://www.autonomous.ai/office-chair" rel="nofollow">https://www.autonomous.ai/office-chair</a><p>[2] - <a href="https://thetechreviewer.com/tech-news/kickstarter-suspends-autonomous-smart-chair-campaign-raised-615k/" rel="nofollow">https://thetechreviewer.com/tech-news/kickstarter-suspends-a...</a><p>[3] - <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/shittykickstarters/comments/58ndet/500k_office_chair_kickstarter_was_suspended_we/" rel="nofollow">https://www.reddit.com/r/shittykickstarters/comments/58ndet/...</a><p>Edit: Newlines.
I've got an Aeron. I've been through a few others far cheaper and near enough as good for sitting in but they broke so quickly with effectively zero customer service about that the 10 year guarantee was worth it.<p>I've had it about 5 years now, no issues with it whatsoever, but if there ever are past the guarantee period the parts market is pretty robust for them.
I'm typing from an Ikea Marcus which is my home office chair.<p>While I agree that the Aeron is great (and have one at work that I use regularly), the Marcus fit in my budget ($200 for the Marcus vs $800+ for a new Aeron) and is perfectly reasonable. I usually leave it in the locked forward typing position.<p>For twelve hour stints, I stand for part of the time (my desk will move up to standing height).<p>I tried an exercise ball - didn't work for me.
I've used everything from an Aeron to a Staples branded chair... and I've found that as long as it's sufficiently adjustable (height, back angle, seat tilt, arm rests, and lumbar) and feels comfortable, it will probably work. One of my long time favorites was actually a Tempurpedic chair I got from staples. Quite comfortable over long periods of time.
The ergonomics expert I work with tells me "the best position is your next position". They ensure we have both good comfortable chairs, and a sit or stand workstation so we can vary our position often.<p>I'm constantly changing. Up, down, up, down, cross legged on my chain, up . Long compile - pace back and forth for a few minutes. It drives my co-workers nuts at times, but it is much better for the body.
Follow-up question: Aeron or Mirra 2? I'm in the market for a new chair and Herman Miller seems like a solid brand. I was considering the Aeron but the Mirra seems interesting as well.
WorkPro Quantum 9000 Series<p>I find the mesh back and seat invaluable. I've used it for about six years now with no problems.<p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/WorkPro-Quantum-Ergonomic-Mid-Back-Chair/dp/B007OZX9DO" rel="nofollow">https://www.amazon.com/WorkPro-Quantum-Ergonomic-Mid-Back-Ch...</a>
I've used a Humanscale Freedom Chair for years. Love this thing.<p><a href="https://www.humanscale.com/products/product.cfm?group=FreedomTaskChairWithHeadrest" rel="nofollow">https://www.humanscale.com/products/product.cfm?group=Freedo...</a>
I've used the Herman Miller Aeron for 3 years at various San Francisco startups, and got to really appreciate it. Its best features for me were the ability to forget I'm sitting in a chair or that it even exists, I could just focus on my work. I ended up getting one for my current office. It was the new 2016 refreshed model, which is slightly nicer. I like it a lot.<p>It's also unbeatable if you tend to run warm, because of the mesh that has great air circulation. In a normal chair, you'd be sweating otherwise.<p>That said, I also got a standing desk and I think it's fantastic to be able to stand half the day, and sit the other half.
Exercise Ball.<p>I have a LEAP chair which is broken. It is much better than the overhyped Aeron. In theory the LEAP has a lifetime warrantee but practically the nearest Steelcase dealer who is 60 miles away won't return my phone calls.
Exercise ball and standing. I had a motorcycle accident 8yrs ago that chipped some of the nubs off my coccyx and lower spine. Sitting in a chair hurts after an hour or 2. No pain with the ball. Plus its cheap.
I bought a used medium Herman Miller Aeron. It was the best chair I'd ever owned, but I ended up switching to a standing desk setup a few months later, and I'm very happy with it.
I am using an Ikea Vollmar ($250) currently (for up to 14h per day) and I like it. The back adjusting mechanism could be more fine grained. A few years ago I used a Vitra office chair, which was better and I might one day buy one. However, the price of ~1500$ is a bit hard to swallow and as long as I don't get back pain I will stay with my Volmar.
I had previously tried both the Aeron as well as the Steelcase Leap 2 for an extended period (+1w) and found I preferred the Steelcase. I purchased one for myself and one for my wife.<p>It's common to find these gently used on Craigslist for around $200 if you live in a populated area. That's where I got mine. I was able to pick any two from a lot of 20+.
I've had the Herman Miller Mirra chair since December 2011 and could not be happier with it. Much better than the SteelCase Leap Chair it replaced and in my personal opinion it's more comfortable than the Aeron chair.
<a href="http://www.okamura.jp/en_ap/products/seating/luce/" rel="nofollow">http://www.okamura.jp/en_ap/products/seating/luce/</a><p>Looks funny, but when you sit it goes down.
Varier move standing stool<p>I really enjoy rocking and spinning around all day.<p>It's not the most comfortable thing and forces you to stand and walk around a bit. However, I think that is why this stool works so well for me.
Standing desk has been the best for me. I don't like chairs because I'm always at a whiteboard writing things. If possible I would recommend you try going chairless.